​USB cables, an overview

Image by Bartek from Pixabay

My daughter suggested writing about this subject. Since I am asked for cables from time to time, I thought it was a good idea. There are many different types of USB cables and they are very common. So many devices use USB in some format or other, it gets confusing when you need a cable. Printer cables were often using the square-ish Type b, which had the standard Type A on the other end.
 
The designations aren’t so helpful to us regular people, though differentiating between a USB Mini or Micro is helpful. Generally, a non-Apple smartphone was using a Micro. The early Kindles used a Mini. These days it seems that the USB-C is taking over. It would be nice to have a standard.
 
The USB cable used to carry data and sometimes, a little bit of power. It quickly became a carrier of more power which makes it more useful. Generally, it tends to carry 5 volts of power, and usually about 3 amps, so not a huge amount, but enough to run many small devices. Not enough to run my laser printer, but plenty to power speakers, external drives, cameras, that sort of thing.
 
If you are interested in reading more and seeing what the various types of USB cables look like, then read this LINK. Understanding USB Cable Types and Which One to Use (makeuseof.com)
 
It will help if you need one and want to see if I have any. I probably do.